


A Token of Good Luck

by Lyanna_Targaryen



Category: Figure Skating RPF, Olympics RPF
Genre: Chenyu - Freeform, F/M, Fluff, Humor, M/M, Romance
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-02-18
Updated: 2018-05-14
Packaged: 2019-03-20 17:03:54
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,837
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13722150
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lyanna_Targaryen/pseuds/Lyanna_Targaryen
Summary: Yuzuru is exploring on his own in a small shopping district on his free day during the Olympics in South Korea when he's overrun by fans and paparazzi. He didn't expect help to come, so when Nathan Chen's face pops out amongst the sea of people, Yuzuru is surprised to say in the least.Especially when Nathen holds out his hand for him to take and offers him an escape.





	1. Take my Hand

Yuzuru Hanyu sidestepped behind a sign in time to avoid another group of animated young women. Collectively they chatted over each other in his native tongue. He heard his name exchanged several times in their conversations and he tensed. Somehow his fans always knew where to find him whenever he left the security of the Olympic village. 

Cautiously he peeked around the commercial sign when their excited chatter faded down the sidewalk. They must not have seen him. He relaxed and walked out from his impromptu hiding spot. 

Yuzuru’s fans meant the world to him. He still could not believe how momentously his life changed after he won gold for Japan at the Sochi Olympic games. After the games ended, he thought the new fans he’d collected would depart. It was what he was told so his spirits wouldn’t dampen. It was what he’d been expecting, so when his base didn’t decrease the following months but instead grew… 

Pedestrians didn’t spare him a glance as he walked with the flow of traffic. Small Korean shops signs flashed around him in dazzling colors. He couldn’t help but to stop and browse through a few cute gift shops as he explored. The locals were kind and helpful with directions despite the language barrier. Besides the occasional group of girls that would cause him to hide whenever they walked by, Yuzuru was glad he made the trip. The locals didn’t recognize him and for once he was able to relax and shop without cameras flashing in his face or items shoved at his hands for him to sign. 

He needed this. Walking around without seeing his face in a store window or hearing someone shout his name like he typically did in his home country was almost serene. Even during the months spent in Canada to train were becoming more stressful as his fame grew. 

The Japanese skater stopped in front of a small shop when something in the window caught his eye. He stepped closer and gazed in marvel at the small wooden object behind the glass. The shop owner – an elderly Korean woman – motioned for him to come inside when he noticed her watching him. 

He smiled and gave the woman a short bow.

“Japanese?” he asked.

The woman smiled but shook her head.

“English?” he tried again. 

She pinched her frail fingers close together. “A little.”

Yuzuru beamed. He traced back to the front of the store near the shop window. The woman followed closely behind. He carefully picked up the little wooden hand carved bear that first caught his attention when he was walking by. 

“How much for this?” he asked and presented the petite item to the woman. 

She carefully plucked it from his palm and studied it closely. “Depends,” she smiled and gazed up at the young Japanese man. “What will it mean to you?”

Yuzuru was taken aback by the question. What would the bear mean to him? He loved bears, but he didn’t think explaining his passion for the mammal was the response the woman desired. 

She handed the carving back to him as he continued to ponder the question. He held it in his palm and quietly admired the wooden bear that was standing on his hind legs. He rubbed his thumb over the bears puffed out chest.

Yuzuru opened his mouth to respond until a high-pitched scream pierced the air. 

His head spun towards the shop entry in alarm. Two girls on the other side of the window were excitedly pointing at him. Yuzuru’s eyes widened at the sight of them. 

Uh oh. 

It wasn’t long until others started to gather around the girls to see what they were so worked up about. The voices grew louder and Yuzuru squinted when the first camera flashed.

“I am sorry.” He handed the carving back to the woman. Maybe he’d be back on another one of his free days off for the bear. 

“Yuzu!” a girl outside screamed.

“I love you!”

“Yuzu!” a new voice called.

“Another exit? Door?” he asked the woman.

She frowned and shook her head. He sighed and turned back towards the growing crowd outside. Maybe adventuring alone without security wasn’t a good idea. 

“Thank you. Bye.” He bowed politely at the woman then turned to face the crowd waiting outside for him. 

“Good luck.” He heard the woman call. He didn’t have to look back to know she was smiling at his misfortune. He could hear the amusement in her voice. 

The shop door was opened for him before he even reached for the handle. He grinned politely and ducked his head when camera flashes went off all around him. Multiple hands grabbed his arms and Yuzuru had to carefully remove them so he could continue moving.

“Yuzu! I love you!”

“Yuzu! Smile!”

The hands kept reaching for him and Yuzuru had to gently pull his arms away before a fan could get a good grip. He kept trying to walk forward to hail a cab, but no matter how hard he tried he couldn’t part the sea of fans and curious pedestrians. The flashing lights blinded him and he was beginning to get nervous under all of the attention. A stuffed animal was shoved into his arms and just managed to catch it before it could fall and be trampled on. 

No matter where he looked he couldn’t find a way out of the crowd. The crowds were starting to spill into the single lane road and the cars horns blared. He felt like he was stuck in the eye of a hurricane as the storm swirled around him relentlessly. 

Just as he was about to reach into his pocket to fish out his phone and call for someone to pick him up, a new voice caught Yuzuru’s attention. 

“Hey, Yuzuru!"

Yuzuru’s head snapped up in shock. He recognized that voice. 

The sea of fans started to part as a young man pushed his way through them. A messy mop of brown hair popped out from between two girls. 

“Come on, man!” the newcomer shouted over the noise. 

The sight of American figure skater Nathan Chen shoving against two other girls as they all tried to gain Yuzuru’s attention was…surprising. 

The younger skater stuck out a hand.

“Let’s get out of here! Come on!”

All the screams of his fans and clicks of the cameras muted for an entire second. Yuzuru stared at the American in shock until his sudden presence really started to sink in. 

He stared at the younger man's outstretched hand and he extended his own towards it. As soon as their palms touched all the sounds of the chaos around him returned.

“Hey, quit shoving!” Nathan snapped at the girl to his left. Yuzuru grinned when she shouted back hotly in Korean. 

Nathan held Yuzuru’s hand tightly in his own. 

“Hold on,” he heard him holler.

Yuzuru let the American pull him along as the sea of people parted for them. More camera flashes went off. Fans and paparazzi desperately called his name over and over to earn his attention, but Yuzuru never tore his gaze away from the firm hand that tightly clutched his own.


	2. Three's a Crowd

 

Yuzuru stumbled and nearly smacked into Nathan back when they came to a halt. He was about to ask the younger why they paused in their running when suddenly a small, white car screeched to a halt at the curb. Nathan turned to him.

“Here,” he said and pulled on the car door handle. “Get in.”

If it had been anyone else asking him to jump into a random car in a foreign country, Yuzuru would’ve run in the opposite direction and yell for help. But Yuzuru trusted Nathan. He had nothing to be afraid of.

The car honked and the young Japanese skater surged forward, squeezing past the American who held the door open for him. The inside of the car was dark and smelt of chocolate and coffee. Yuzuru sat awkwardly in the backseat then spun around to check on Nathan. The crowds outside were still shouting and taking pictures.

Nathan ducked his head and lowered himself swiftly next to Yuzuru, legs, and thighs bumping in the tight space. The car door slammed shut but the crowds could still be heard. Several girls knocked on the window and tried peeking in by cupping hands around their eyes.

“Alright let’s get out of here,” Nathan called out to the driver and immediately the car jerked into motion. Yuzuru sunk into the seat by the sudden jolt. Unconsciously he reached for a seatbelt to strap in.

“You okay?”

Yuzuru closed his eyes and let out a long, deep breath.

“I think so.” He sighed tiredly and turned his head to face his rescuer. “Thank you.”

Nathan grinned and relaxed back into his seat. “Don’t worry about it. Saw the crowd and thought at first they were watching a street performer. But then I heard them shouting ‘Yuzu’ and doubted it was a coincidence.”

Yuzuru smiled and bowed his head, feeling his cheeks heat up at hearing the American say his nickname. Despite how long they knew each other and chatted on and off the ice, Nathan always referred to Yuzuru by his full name.

“Not all of them were fans, I think. Some of the other shoppers just became curious.” Yuzuru said.

The American let his head fall against the headrest. “Oh no,” he laughed lightly. “You just have that many fans. Those girls were so determined to just touch you. I’m surprised you aren’t missing chunks of your coat.”

“They can be persistent but never violent. They just get very excited.” Yuzuru replied, reaching up to bashfully rub the back of his neck. Almost immediately he noticed that something from around his neck was missing.

He looked down his chest and observed the lack of light blue cotton that once hung there. His scarf was gone. Yuzuru internally frowned. Looked like a lucky fan wouldn’t be going home empty-handed.

“Something wrong?” Nathan spoke up.

Yuzuru forced a grin and shook his head. “Nothing.”

Nathan shifted in his seat and Yuzuru felt the young skater’s thigh rub against him. His face heated. There were a few inches of space where they could scoot away and not have to be so close, but Nathan seemed just continent where he was and Yuzuru found their seating arrangement comforting.

When Yuzuru looked up he saw that Nathan was staring at him. He stiffened under the other man’s gaze. The American’s warm brown eyes were partially narrowed in a way that Yuzuru was familiar with. He’d seen that look before. The American would squint like that when he was seriously focused on something. Yuzuru would see that look of determination every time he watched Nathan skate, especially when he’d be preparing for one of his famous quads.

When Nathan inhaled in preparation to speak, Yuzuru tensed with anticipation.

But instead, a new voice broke the silence.

“You know, when you said you had to hop out to grab something real quick, I thought you meant a cheap souvenir from one of the shops,” the young man sitting up front with the driver commented. He turned in his seat, revealing to be Vincent Zhou. His amused eyes surveyed Yuzuru. “But instead you picked up a date. Not bad, Nathan.”

Yuzuru blushed and looked away so the other member of the USA skate team wouldn’t see his reddening face.

“I told you it was important,” Nathan said.

“Only you would be vague about a kidnapping.”

“It wasn’t a kidnapping.”

Vincent rolled his eyes and popped another piece of chocolate from the bag in his hand into his mouth. He turned back around. “Call it whatever you want, Nate, just don’t involve me when his coach and teammates come looking for their star.”

Nathan's annoyed expression melted after that statement. His finger tapped impatiently on his pants leg for a moment as he gazed out the window.

"Someones ought to call," he mumbled, working through his thoughts aloud. "Photos are probably already online too."

Yuzuru watched curiously as Nathan pulled out his phone and held his finger over the lock screen.

"My coach and friends know I am out. Need space and time for me. They are not worried about me. Everything is fine." Yuzuru insisted and reached out to comfortably place a hand on Nathan's arm. The American's eyes immediately flickered to his and Yuzuru suddenly felt less confident about openly touching him. He pulled his arm back and tried to not less his reservations show through his face.

The American's intense gaze remained on him. "You were out there by yourself? They actually let you?"

"Yes," the young Japanese man nodded. "I'm allowed to leave the Olympic village like the others too, you know." he teased.

Nathan gave a small grin. "Even without a small security team?"

Yuzuru laughed. "I am not royalty."

"You know, I think I read an online article recently where you're referred to as Japan's Ice Prince."

Yuzuru smiled. There were too many online blogs, articles, and social media accounts on the web about him. He never bothered to go through them himself but his friends and family members would send him links every so often of something they found amusing or cute.

"You read an online story about me?" he asked.

Nathan's face seemed to have darkened, but that could have just been because of the bright multicolor neon shop lights that kept flickering in and out the car as they sped along.

"Yeah, I uh..." the American shrugged and looked anywhere except at him. "I saw the title and thought it might be interesting since I'm also known as the Quad King, so..."

"It is ok. I know you are a fan. You do not need to act shy."

Vincent, who had bee quiet for the most part of the car ride, laughed loudly from his front seat. Nathan scowled and lightly kicked the back of his friend's seat. Yuzuru smiled and laughed along.

Nathan shook his head but smirked despite his reddening face. "I don't know why I put up with you two."

"It's because you love us," Vincent muttered. "Well, at least one of us."

"You do realize we're roommates, right? I'd sleep with one eye open if I were you tonight."

Yuzuru grinned amusedly as he watched the two American's quietly bicker back and forth. The two were closer than he thought them to be. Much closer... Yuzuru's smile slowly faded as he processed what this new awareness of the two's relationship meant. Just how close was Vincent with Nathan? They were just good friend, right? There would've been gossip if the two boys were more than just friends. Not daring to admit it if anyone asked, but Yuzuru did check on Nathan's social media accounts every so often. Vincent did show up quite often on his news feed but was just because they were teammates, or so Yuzuru thought.

"You two are so close that you love one another?" Yuzuru tried to make his smile look natural as he brought up what Vincent had said. "That is cute. That is what I believe people from the west call 'friendship goals', yes?"

Both Nathan and Vincent fell silent. Yuzuru counted in his head all the small bumps the car made in an attempt to focus on anything but Nathan and the curious look he knew was directed his way.

"Er...yeah," Nathan said and flickered his gaze to Vincent. "We're that close, right Vinny?"

"Nathan, don't call me that. Ever. And for you..." Vincent turned in his seat to stare down the Japanese skater. "You're just as oblivious as Nathan."

Yuzuru stared in shock.

"Dude, what are you - " Nathan started before the car came to a sudden halt.

"Hm, good timing."

Yuzuro looked out the window and saw that they had stopped in front of a large Korean restaurant.

Vincent was alright unbuckled and halfway out of the car before he stopped and turned to the two boys in the back. "I'm hungry and will ask for a table for one if you guys don't hurry up. Nate, open the door for your date and come on." the front door slammed shut and Yuzuru turned to Nathan but he couldn't find any words to say.

The American seemed to be contemplating something for a long minute before he suddenly unclicked his seatbelt and hopped from his seat. Yuzuru watched, face completely red, as Nathan swung the car door open and got out before smoothly turning and offering his hand.

"He was being serious about not waiting on us," Nathan said, with a warm mirth in his brown eyes. "Come on."

Yuzuru was too distracted by the hand before him and the charming expression on the young American's face that he tried getting up before he unbuckled his seatbelt. He jerked back and awkwardly fumbled with the clasp while Nathan openly laughed.


End file.
